Last month's project: A handbuilt penguin using slabs of clay pieced together and formed using a wooden paddle. The details then sculpted and lines made to define the form. Certain areas were then textured and sunglasses sculpted on to complete my "sunbathing penguin".

Penguin after the first glaze firing. It will have to be cleaned and undergo another 1-2 more firings to finish.

I took a break from wheel throwing to experiment more with a clay handbuilding technique using soft slabs of clay. Each piece is carefully joined together forming a box-like shape, then gently paddled to the form in mind. Finally the details are added. Each piece takes me about 4-7 hours to put together and rough out. Perhaps another 2-3 hours to add in the details, then a few more hours to glaze. The kiln that I use takes about 3-5 hours to fire. A lot of time and love goes into each piece but I feel it's well worth the effort. Please click on the following images to see more views of these pieces.

I also got together with some friends and did a salt firing a week or two ago. Here are the results.